Solar sell: residents provide the energy to halt climate change - National

A GROUP of Sydney residents have cast a ray of sunshine on the otherwise gloomy topic of global warming.

Tired of state and federal government inaction and worried about the kind of world their children will inherit, they are working to encourage others on the Balmain-Rozelle peninsula to switch from fossil fuels to clean, renewable sources of energy.

One of their first programs aims to raise enough money to install solar photovoltaic panels at local schools.

The threat of global warming was overwhelming for most people, said Alison Potter, one of the members of the collective of parents and residents calling themselves Climate Change Balmain-Rozelle. "It is hard to grasp; hard to get your head around … but it is so tied up with energy use," she said.

That is why the group's essential message is a positive one: that small actions taken by many - such as paying a little extra to buy green power - can make a big difference.

Climate Change Balmain-Rozelle decided to maximise its impact by targeting the role energy plays in global warming.

"We really want to focus on the coal industry, which is especially bad in this state, and the whole connection between fossil fuels and greenhouse gases," said Sue Lewis, a Rozelle resident and teacher.

"It is all doable. Everyone in Rozelle and Balmain can change their energy use to renewable energy."

The group attracted 72 people to a dinner last Saturday at which climate change was discussed and debated, and at which $3600 was raised towards the cost of installing solar power in local schools.

The group has distributed about 6000 postcards to homes on the peninsula explaining their campaign. The electricity supplier Origin Energy paid for the cards and is offering a $500 rebate on solar photovoltaic systems for residents.

The principal at Rozelle Primary, Lyn Doppler, supports the group's aims, saying the solar project would mean not only that her school could cut its power bills and greenhouse gases, but the children would learn about sustainability.

"[The group's] aim is to take positive action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the peninsula," Ms Doppler said. "They realise they have to start small … but in raising the money they are raising awareness."